Can’t stop, won’t stop genocide

benfell

Imperialism

Israel


Fig. 1. John Bolton and Binyamin Netanyahu at a press conference. Office of U.S. National Security Advisor, August 20, 2018, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Ishaan Tharoor, “Iran’s escalation with Israel shifts focus away from Gaza,” Washington Post, April 16, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/04/16/iran-escalation-israel-gaza-attention-focus/

Palestine

07_09:10:47-2
Fig. 1. The ruins of a terminal at the Gaza airport. Image by Said Khatib (Agence France-Presse) on September 9, 2018, via the Times of Israel,[1] fair use.

[Mike] Johnson plans to put four different bills on the [House of Representatives] floor, essentially decoupling aid for Israel — which faced a barrage of missiles and drone threats from Iran over the weekend in retaliation for a deadly airstrike on its consulate in Syria — from help for Ukraine, which is more controversial inside his conference. The speaker will then advance separate votes for aid to Taiwan and a measure to satisfy Republican foreign policy demands, including the seizure of Russian assets and a House-approved bill that could ban TikTok from the United States, among other measures.[2]

Do I believe that Joe Biden cares about Ukraine, let alone Taiwan, as much as he does Israel? Not even for a nanosecond. Do I believe he would veto a bill approving aid for Israel? You can’t be serious.

But he’s holding out for Ukraine and Taiwan aid along with aid for Israel, or so he and his administration claim. A standalone bill for aid for Israel would much more easily pass the white Christian nationalist House of Representatives.[3] Also, fairly obviously, European allies care a lot about aid for Ukraine.[4]

My bet is that:

  1. Biden is bluffing.

  2. Republicans in the House of Representatives will call that bluff because at least a few of them love Vladimir Putin and could probably warm up to Xi Jinping if Xi were, um, white.

  3. Biden would sign a bill that includes only Israel aid.

‘Cause, you know, genocide is important. Can’t stop, won’t stop that.

Be sure to read Julia Ioffe’s article. She’s back to doing what she does best here.

Leigh Ann Caldwell and Marianna Sotomayor, “Johnson gambles on plan separating Israel aid from Ukraine funds,” Washington Post, April 15, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/15/mike-johnson-israel-ukraine-aid-house-republicans/

Eugene Daniels, “White House opposes standalone Israel funding bill,” Politico, April 15, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/15/biden-iran-attack-israel-00152282

Julia Ioffe, “Bibi Stings,” Puck News, April 15, 2024, https://puck.news/will-bibi-netanyahu-escalate-with-iran/

Russia

Ukraine


Fig. 1. “Destroyed Russian military vehicles located on the main street Khreshchatyk are seen as part of the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine in Kyiv, August 24.” Photograph by Gleb Garanich for Reuters, August 24, 2022,[5] fair use.

Leigh Ann Caldwell and Marianna Sotomayor, “Johnson gambles on plan separating Israel aid from Ukraine funds,” Washington Post, April 15, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/15/mike-johnson-israel-ukraine-aid-house-republicans/

Eugene Daniels, “White House opposes standalone Israel funding bill,” Politico, April 15, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/15/biden-iran-attack-israel-00152282

Siobhán O’Grady and Kostiantyn Khudov, “Ukraine, watching U.S. coalition protect Israel, feels alone,” Washington Post, April 15, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/15/ukraine-israel-contrast-defense-iran/

China

Taiwan

Leigh Ann Caldwell and Marianna Sotomayor, “Johnson gambles on plan separating Israel aid from Ukraine funds,” Washington Post, April 15, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/15/mike-johnson-israel-ukraine-aid-house-republicans/

Eugene Daniels, “White House opposes standalone Israel funding bill,” Politico, April 15, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/15/biden-iran-attack-israel-00152282

Ishaan Tharoor, “Iran’s escalation with Israel shifts focus away from Gaza,” Washington Post, April 16, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com//world/2024/04/16/iran-escalation-israel-gaza-attention-focus/

Pennsylvania and surrounding areas

Pittsburgh, the Ohio Valley, and surrounding areas

Pollution


Fig. 1. Photographer unknown, circa 1940-1950, from Smoke Control Lantern Slide Collection, ca. 1940-1950, AIS.1978.22, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh, via Bloomberg,[6] fair use.

The 2012 air quality rules — with which [Allegheny County] is in compliance — state that the limit for fine particles (known as PM2.5) is 12.0 micrograms per cubic meter. But earlier this year, the EPA lowered that limit to 9.0 micrograms per cubic meter. That rule goes into effect on May 6, according to the Federal Register.[7]

Steve Bohnel, “Allegheny County withdraws request to EPA to be labeled in compliance with federal air quality standards,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 16, 2024, https://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2024/04/15/allegheny-county-epa-air-quality-standards/stories/202404150153

  1. [1]Times of Israel, “20 years after its opening, destroyed Gaza airport embodies grounded peace hopes,” September 12, 2018, https://www.timesofisrael.com/20-years-after-its-opening-destroyed-gaza-airport-embodies-grounded-peace-hopes/↩
  2. [2]Leigh Ann Caldwell and Marianna Sotomayor, “Johnson gambles on plan separating Israel aid from Ukraine funds,” Washington Post, April 15, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/15/mike-johnson-israel-ukraine-aid-house-republicans/↩
  3. [3]Leigh Ann Caldwell and Marianna Sotomayor, “Johnson gambles on plan separating Israel aid from Ukraine funds,” Washington Post, April 15, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/15/mike-johnson-israel-ukraine-aid-house-republicans/; Eugene Daniels, “White House opposes standalone Israel funding bill,” Politico, April 15, 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/15/biden-iran-attack-israel-00152282↩
  4. [4]Henry Samuel, “Macron: West may need to save Ukraine if Russia makes breakthrough,” Telegraph, March 7, 2024, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/07/emmanuel-macron-threat-russia-breakthrough-ukraine-elysee/↩
  5. [5]Reuters, “Ukraine puts destroyed Russian tanks on display in Kyiv,” August 25, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/ukraine-puts-destroyed-russian-tanks-on-idUSRTSALV9Q↩
  6. [6]Mark Byrnes, “What Pittsburgh Looked Like When It Decided It Had a Pollution Problem,” Bloomberg, June 5, 2012, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-06-05/what-pittsburgh-looked-like-when-it-decided-it-had-a-pollution-problem↩
  7. [7]Steve Bohnel, “Allegheny County withdraws request to EPA to be labeled in compliance with federal air quality standards,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 16, 2024, https://www.post-gazette.com/news/environment/2024/04/15/allegheny-county-epa-air-quality-standards/stories/202404150153↩

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